Reflux - Indianapolis,IN

Hi,
My daughter was also born with TEF. She had her ____@____.com to reattach her esaphagus. She did not have to have a feeding tube. However, because of the surgery her esaphagus has always been a bit smaller where it was reattached. We had to teach our daughter to chew everything really well before swallowing. Everything was fine until she was about 3 or 4 yrs old then one day she started sniffing and clearing her throat and coughing now and then. I didn't think a whole lot about it the first day but when it continued after the second day, we decided that maybe a piece of food was stuck and constricting that esaphagus reattachment. We took her into the doctors and sure enough that is what it was. I can't remember if they could tell from an X-ray or not. But the next day they did a scope down her throat and removed the piece of food that was stuck. She has been fine ever since. She will be 21 this Feb. (It was a mushroom from a piece of pizza by the way.) I am certainly not trying to scare you, but it's something you might want to consider. If you have any further questions, you can email me @ ____@____.com.

It doesn't have to be food based allergies, it could just be an overproduction of stomach acid. However, I know if my husband has tomato based foods (not an allergy, just the acid) his reflux gets so much worse. Ditto if he eats BEFORE he takes his pill.

Talk to your pedi. If you've ever experienced reflux then you know how painful it is. My grandfather had it so bad he had to have surgery on ulcers in his esphagous. You don't want your little guy in pain.

Make yourself feel better and have it checked!

well we haven't had the issues that your little guy has had, but 2 of my kids and i have done well with Prevacid. Zantac worked some for me but not as well as Prevacid. Prevacid comes in melt in your mouth tablets that don't taste too bad. my kids were able to go off of it by the time they were 2, but my reflux is here to stay. life is much easier for me with the Prevacid. oh and i found that taking two of the over the counter is not equal to taking one of the prescription. something about the formulation is different. if you're going to try this med it's better to get the prescription. good luck!

I would take him to a Pediactric Gastrointerologist and have them look at him. You dont have to put him on medicine if you dont have too, and your regular Pediatrician might do just that.

Are you sure it isn't asthma? Is it worse after he is active? Does he ever wheeze? Does he have allergies?

The last half of your story (starting with the pneumonia) sounds like my son who has asthma. He has to take allergy and asthma meds.

Definitely go talk to your pediatrician. Our son had reflux as an infant and fortunately he has outgrown it. Our pediatrician told us that there are times throughout his life where it may come back. We have been lucky, we haven't noticed any recurrence (he is 2.5). I do have a friend whose son just went through a recurrence, he is 4.

Has he been checked for allergies? Nasal drainage can cause stomach issues. Also food allergies cause issues too. You need to see someone who can handle both allergies and immunology. My daughter ended up having food and seasonal allergies on top of some immune deficiencies. For food they found wheat, eggs and chocolate. She also seems to have some problems with milk. The main food allergies are milk, egg and wheat. By removing them for a period of time you can rule things out. We had the scratch test done. I also took her to an osteopath to check and treat for allergies. Milk is known for causing the symptoms you mention.